Providing value-added products like form/label combinations involves product knowledge and a greater time investment. The '90s ushered in some amazing developments in affixing and integrating equipment along with ongoing advancements in materials and adhesives. The upshot is a dynamic crop of time-, efficiency- and accuracy-enhancing combination products such as form/label combinations. Clearly today's sophisticated business operations are well served by such innovation. However, as Judy Miller, label project manager for Vandalia, Ohio-based PrintGraphics observed, these products are best marketed through solution-selling, which requires up-to-date product knowledge and additional sell time. Offered Miller, "There are two types of salespeople: those who quote orders that essentially
Labels
Static cling signs, banners and decals make great advertisers and have unlimited applications. Your flag decal won't get you into heaven," went a popular refrain in the '70s. These days most people probably wouldn't even consider putting an adhesive decal on their windows in the first place. But there is an alternative—static cling labels and decals. Using an electrostatically charged vinyl substrate, static cling labels are removable, repositionable and perfect for short-term advertising. They allow advertisers to quickly change and update their messages and can be printed in almost any size with eye-catching graphics. Though they may cost a bit more than adhesive-backed
More than just window dressing, dynamic packaging concepts are heating up static cling sales. Static clings have long been prized for their effectiveness as point-of-purchase aids, particularly by those in the retail, automotive and fast-food industries. But if distributors want to increase sales of static cling products, they would do well to employee the old sizzling steak concept. For as Mike Stoeck, director of marketing and customer service for New Century, Kansas-based Stouse, pointed out, "Aside from the actual print job, there isn't much that can be done to alter static clings, but there are some exciting new vehicles for marketing the products
Distributors stick with labels to lick market woes. The birth of modern labeling technology can be traced back to the 1700s, when labels began appearing on Guinness bottled ale and stout in Ireland, and on wine and liqueur produced in France. Eventually, canned food processing caused label usage to soar. In the 1920s, 3M developed masking and cellophane tape, which resulted in various pressure-sensitive applications, and universal product codes introduced in the late '70s spawned a multitude of bar-coded label solutions. Clearly, labels are one traditional product group that is thriving in our information-crazed, technology-obsessed society. Here, four executives discuss the impact of
Streamline clients' tracking and information gathering while adding heft to your paycheck. Say your customer wants to track his inventory as it moves through the chain of production, but all you have to offer are plain-old traditional forms. What do you do? If you're smart you'll find a manufacturer who prints bar-coded labels and not only will you have a happy customer, you'll have a whole new product niche to explore. Though it's been more than 30 years since the nearly ubiquitous product made its debut, bar codes are still often overlooked. Perhaps this is because bar codes seem confusing or, in
Security concerns and compliance issues influence production and drive solutions. Employees present I.D. access cards to enter Safford, Arizona-based Impressive Labels. Some then proceed to the thermal printing cell where, under 24-hour a day video surveillance, they finish and imprint labels, adhering to strict procedures throughout production to ensure security—nothing leaves the caged-off area unauthorized, even waste materials are destroyed inside the cell. The customer—a software company requiring product authenticity labels—wouldn't have it any other way. The same holds true for government projects and industries with other high-risk products. "We offer a wide range of solutions and have invested largely in making
When durability is the question, screenprinted labels are the answer. Cracked, faded, beat-up labels are not only ugly and ineffective, they can be dangerous. After all, what good is a warning label if it's so faded that it's become illegible? Or an engine label that isn't chemical-resistant? The answer is no good at all—and the solution is screenprinting. Screenprinting involves pushing UV-cured or acrylic ink through a fine mesh screen mounted on a steel frame. The process offers vivid color, appealing texture and years of visibility and durability. Because of the way the inks adhere, and the versatility of screenprinting equipment, screenprinting can be
They take a lot of heat, yet remain a cool solution for variable imaging and product identification. Persnickety is a word that comes to mind when discussing laser labels—annoyingly exacting in production and handling requirements. Make no mistake, they're a great product and the demand is certainly there, but if an application can be met using a different type of label, at least consider the alternative. One problem is excessive heat. Fusers on laser printers heat up to 250 degrees and 300 degrees Fahrenheit, making the proper combination of substrate, adhesive and liner essential for the labels to emerge unscathed. Even with the right
Static cling labels continue to stick as a promotional necessity. They hold fast, reposition with ease and leave no sticky residues. They are static cling labels, and they can be placed on almost any smooth, clean surface—including glass, plastic and some metals. Such traits create an attractive option for customers seeking just the right adherence for just the right application. And, according to many manufacturers, ad specialties and product promotions are just those applications. As a result, clingy labels can be found on high-exposure areas including storefronts, drive-through windows and car windshields. The latter is one of the top reasons New Albany, Indiana-based
Alternative solutions are closing in, but these little piggies still have a toehold in the market. Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door. Build a thinner, less ex-pensive alternative to the piggyback label, and you'll have the entire forms industry in your backyard. Like the better mousetrap, however, constructing a product that can completely replace the original remains an elusive task. Not that manufacturers aren't trying. In the ongoing effort to make products better, faster and cheaper, two alternatives to the standard five-layer piggyback label construction—face stock/adhesive/liner/adhesive/base material—have been developed. The newest is a linerless
